By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Elisa Aguilar has been the new president of the Spanish Federation for about four months, succeeding Jorge Garbajosa in that position. Speaking to Spanish “AS”, she emphasized that everyone’s priority in the Federation is to keep Sergio Scariolo on the bench for the next four years.
“I mentioned it from day one. Our priority is Scariolo so that he can be the coach for the next four years. Not only in his capacity as a coach but with the line he sets with the youngsters at a coaching level. He knows what our intention is, and I also know that the national team is very important to him. Now it’s more about timing. I am convinced that, in the end, we will reach a successful conclusion, and there will be an agreement with Scariolo,” Aguilar said, among other things.
Scariolo coached Spain from 2009 to 2012 in his first stint as the national team coach and rejoined La Roja in 2015. He won four Eurobasket gold medals and a 2019 World Cup with Spain, as well as bronze in the European Championship and at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the sole silver at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Aguilar also touched on Lorenzo Brown’s potential comeback to the national team, after winning the gold at the 2022 Eurobasket and skipping the 2023 World Cup.
“When Maccabi came to play in Madrid, I had a coffee with him and Lorenzo’s predisposition is, 100%, to be in the Pre-Olympic in Valencia,” she stressed.
After losing to Latvia at the start of the 2025 Eurobasket qualification, Spain will face Belgium on Gameday 2 (25/02). Due to their ninth-place finish at the last World Cup, Scariolo and Spain will have to play in the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Valencia (July 2-7).